This invention relates primarily to electronic video poker games, and more particularly to electronic video poker games that are based on poker hand rankings and that allow the player to discard and replace unwanted cards with replacement cards. The present invention has many versions with the common thread being that cards from an initial hand of cards are re-used in one or more subsequent or additional hands to allow the player the opportunity to play one or more cards from the starting hand of cards multiple times.
The method of the present invention involves a card game in which the player can play the initial starting hand of cards one or more times. The player makes a total wager prior to the initial starting hand being dealt. One hand of five cards is displayed to the player with all of the initial cards being dealt face up. The player then determines how many times the player wishes to play the initial starting hand. The player makes this determination by selecting the number of plays that the player wishes to have occur and the player""s total wager is then divided into multiple parts, each part of which is allocated to a different play of the initial starting hand.
The player then plays the starting hand for the first time. The player then selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the first hand as cards to be held. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are dealt and the poker hand ranking of the FIRST PLAY is determined.
The initial deal of the starting cards is then re-used and becomes a SECOND PLAY. The player again selects none, one or more of the face up cards from the second hand as cards to be held. Replacement cards for the non-selected cards are to dealt and the poker hand ranking of the SECOND PLAY is determined.
These steps are repeated until the player has completed play of all of the hands that the player chose to play based on the selection made by the player and how the total wager was divided. The player is paid for any winning poker hands based on a pay table and the amount of the player""s wager on each play of the initial starting hand.
Alternatively, the method of the present invention can also be applied to three card poker or four card poker.